Leopard Rain
by Ralos
Summary: His life began in a pool of rainwater on WindClan territory. It ended in a far-off sewer drain with blood being washed away by rain. A rogue born, and dead, Leopardheart's life wasn't wasted, though. He left a legacy in the clan that ran with the breeze.
1. Prologue: On Deaf Ears

Prologue: "On Deaf Ears", Forest Territories, WindClan Territory

A WindClan warrior kept her head down as the rain poured down on the moor, shielding her eyes. The biggest storm in seasons let loose torrents, turning the soil into mud. It seemed like StarClan was dumping a river on the forest. She jumped over a particularly large stream of rainwater flowing towards the distant RiverClan border.

Her solo hunting patrol was in vain, quashed by the sudden rain. All the rabbits were hidden in their burrows, and no thrushes or sparrows could be seen through the grasses. Lashing her tail with frustration, she resigned herself to another hungry night. WindClan was low on prey, and they needed every piece of fresh-kill they could get.

Wait. What was that?

A high, thin mewling noise, barely noticeable above the drumming of the rain, had come from her left. There it was again. It sounded like a kit.

The warrior code forbade leaving a kit in distress, regardless of Clan, so she turned and padded towards the source. As she poked her head through a gap in the scrub and grass, she saw a dusky golden kit lying on its side, soaked and shivering.

The kit let out another wail as she picked it up by the scruff. She immediately set off towards the WindClan camp. The kit was likely freezing in the rain, and it could die. She knew that her sister had recently lost a kit to hunger, and had enough milk for this golden one.

If she knew the kit's future, she likely would have dropped it then and there.


	2. Chapter 1: Start Again

Chapter 1: "Start Again", Forest Territories, WindClan Territory, WindClan Camp

"What is this?" a warrior queen growled. "A shivering scrap of fur? This kit is not even WindClan, Breezefeather!"

Breezefeather looked around the nursery awkwardly. "Tallstar said that you would have enough milk to feed it..." she mumbled. "He doesn't want an innocent kit to die...please, Cloudwing..."

After her sister's hostile reaction, Breezefeather was beginning to worry that her sister would refuse the kit she had rescued. There were no other nursing queens in WindClan. "It's only until the gathering, Cloudwing," she pleaded. "Then the kit will be old enough to be given back to his own clan."

The golden kit sitting on the ground let out a shrill wail. He had scented the queen's milk, and was squirming around to try and get to the queen's stomach, where her other two kits nursed. Cloudwing glanced down at the pathetic, sodden kit. Breezefeather waited for an answer nervously.

"Fine," Cloudwing spat. "I'll take in this kit, but only until the next gathering." She guided the golden kit to where the remaining two nursed.

* * *

That was all Leopardkit was told of his past. At first he had assumed that he was a WindClan cat, like his "littermates". It wasn't until a senior warrior had spat at him and called him a "fox-hearted rogue" that he had asked his "mother," Cloudwing, why the warrior had insulted him. He was only a kit at the time, so he hadn't completely understood what being an outsider meant.

"Breezefeather found you one patrol, back during the famine," she had told him. "I took you in as one of my own- I'm ashamed to admit not wholeheartedly." She laughed awkwardly.

Later on, he realized that this explained the occasional dirty look a warrior threw his direction. He dedicated himself to being the best warrior he could, to prove them wrong.

* * *

In his recurring dream, he was running after a pale warrior. The warrior never looked back, and didn't even notice that Leopardpaw was following, chasing even. Then came the terrifying part, where the sky suddenly switched with the earth, and he fell, looking back at the moor far below him. Or above him?Then he woke up, always at that moment.

His eyes snapped open like they always did, his pelt cold with sweat. The fear and adrenaline lingered, and he glanced around wildly, as in expecting to still be falling. It was his first night in the apprentice's den, and the nightmare had followed him there. His fur gradually smoothed back down, and he lay down in his nest to see if he could doze off again.

No such luck.

Deadfoot, the Clan deputy, stuck his head through the entrance to the apprentice's den. "Dawn patrol," he said edgily. "Pebblepaw, Leopardpaw, get up and join your mentors, quickly. We've scented ShadowClan practically at the camp."

Leopardpaw's adrenaline rush came back full swing. ShadowClan?! Right here?! Maybe there would be a battle! He picked himself up, and practically bowled over Pebblepaw as she was clambering out of her nest.

"Watch it!" she growled drowsily. The pair hurried out of the den, towards the edge of the WindClan camp where their mentors waited. Deadfoot padded up behind them.

"This is ridiculous," the clan deputy mewed. "Never before has ShadowClan been so bold as to hunt our prey under our very noses. Brokenstar will have something to say about this," he finished threateningly.

Pebblepaw's mentor, Gorseleg, nodded in agreement. "This will not be tolerated."

As the five cats padded out of camp, Leopardpaw began to pick up a trace of an unfamiliar scent. It was vile, and had a hint of crowfood to it.

"ShadowClan," rumbled Deadfoot. "Their scent is fresh."

Leopardpaw glanced around at the grasses surrounding them, but saw no hint of an enemy, nor the sound of anyone creeping up on them. He unsheathed his claws in anticipation.

His mentor, Breeze feather, looked at him disapprovingly.

"Stay calm," she advised. "I know it's your first patrol, but it's never a good idea to get adgitated."

Pebblepaw inadvertently heard this, and Leopardpaw caught a smirk as she turned away. He bristled, but his attention was diverted when Gorseleg called out that he had found something.

"It looks like fresh-kill," he said. "And it reeks of ShadowClan."

"We'll tell Tallstar about this as soon as we return to camp," Deadfoot said as saw the dead rabbit. "But this means that they were here recently- perhaps only moments before we arrived. Pebblepaw, Leopardpaw, see if you can find a scent trail. We may be able to catch them."

Leopardpaw nodded excitedly. "Yes, Deadfoot!" he said, just before he practically sprinted off to a likely clump of trampled heather. His scent glands picked up only a whiff of the nauseating scent, which had become almost as common as WindClan scent. That bothered him. The warrior code was ingrained in his head, if not his blood.

Suddenly he picked up an odd scent. It was emanating from a gap in the brush ahead of him. Dropping into a crouch, he stared into the shade, trying to make out the shape of a cat. There! A tail flicked back and forth. He gathered his muscles for the leap, and-

"Leopardpaw! What are you doing!?" Pebblepaw wailed as he landed atop the apprentice, knocking her to the ground. The she-cat glared at him as she climbed back to her paws. "What is your problem today?!"

Leopardpaw's pelt grew hot with shame. "Sorry, Pebblepaw," he muttered "I thought you were a ShadowClan warrior..."

She glared at him before turning away and disappearing into the heather. Leopardpaw silently berated himself. You've messed up more than any other apprentice on their first day, he thought. Do it right from now on!

He turned around to scent in another clump of heater, and his muzzle collided with a pale pelt. Leopardpaw stepped backwards quickly, and was about to yowl for help when the pale warrior looked him directly in the eye.

Don't do it, the gaze seemed to say. You really don't want to call your mentor, do you? No, you're better of listening to what I have to say.

"Who are you?" mewed Leopardpaw curiously. This strange cat had no recognizable scent, but seemed familiar somehow. The fact that it could be an enemy didn't even occur to him.

The pale cat considered the question. "That's irrelevant. Really not necessary at all. You don't need to know," he said.

The cat then unsheathed his claws.


	3. Chapter 2: Rain & Blood

Chapter 2: "Feels Like Rain, Tastes Like Blood", Forest Territories, WindClan Territory

Leopardpaw's world suddenly spun, and he slammed into the dirt. Searing pain flashed from his left flank, and scarlet droplets splattered around him. The pale cat strode into his blurry field of vision.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" he said disappointedly. "You'll need to be a lot better if you want to survive to tomorrow."

What in StarClan was going on?! A strange cat had appeared out of nowhere, acted like he knew Leopardpaw, and now proceeded to turn him into crowfood. He was only supposed to be on a patrol to search for ShadowClan, not-

The cat bashed him in the muzzle with a forepaw. Leopardpaw saw stars. He tasted something odd...kind of like fresh-kill. With a jolt he realized it was his blood. He spat it out as he struggled to his paws.

He glared at the pale warrior. "What clan are you from?!" he spat. "Why are you trespassing on WindClan territory?"

The pale cat cocked his head. "Bold talk for an apprentice, not to mention a bleeding one." He sighed. "But you do need my warning. Tonight, after two warriors have received their names, ShadowClan will attack in an attempt to drive you from your territory. Your clan will not prevail. You will be left for dead in the camp, and wake up surrounded by the fallen. Your path lies not with WindClan, Leopardpaw."

"Who are you?!" Leopardpaw hissed. "Tell me this time!"

"You don't need to know, because you'll never see me again." He paused. "But since you insist...my name is Light." He glanced up at a distant mew. "Your clanmates will arrive shortly. Tell them you were attacked by a ShadowClan warrior. I'll take care of the proof."

Leopardpaw recoiled as ShadowClan scent mysteriously filled the area. Marks of battle appeared in the dirt, along with blood stains. "Goodbye, Leopard's Heart," the cat named Light mewed before padding off.

* * *

Leopardpaw's clanmates believed his tale without question. Tallstar commended him for his actions in driving off a warrior single-pawed. That night, as Light foretold, Thrushpaw and Stonepaw received their warrior names for the assessment they had taken that day. The new warriors stood guard outside the camp, until something happened.

Let me be more specific.

ShadowClan happened.


End file.
